Oil Rig Explosion Movie: Mark Wahlberg To Star In 'Deepwater Horizon'

If all goes well, Mark Wahlberg will be Manager Number Two in the film adaptation of one of the worst oil spills in history.

The actor is currently in talks to star in the movie based on the true-life story of the 2010 oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico as reported in the New York Times article Deepwater Horizon's Final Hour.

The storyline for Deepwater Horizon will center on the events of the last 48 hours leading up to the disaster as well as the heroic acts of the rescuers who responded to the emergency. Eleven workers died in the explosion and sixteen others were injured. The blast itself ignited a fireball visible from 40 miles away.

The movie rights to the article recounting the events of this catastrophe were granted to Summit and Participant after a heavy bidding battle. The film will be produced by the duo behind Transformers, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian, and will be directed by J.C. Chandor, who also directed the 2013 survival film, All is Lost. Matthew Sand wrote the first draft of the script, which Matthew Michael Carnahan, who wrote World War Z, has adapted into the latest draft.

It is reported that the movie will start production in the late spring or early summer of 2015 although it is still unclear where the project will shoot.

Wahlberg is being considered for this movie after having worked with Di Bonaventura in Transformers: Age Of Extinction. Before Transformers, he starred in Lone Survivor, another movie drama based on the true story of war hero Marcus Luttrell. Wahlberg played Luttrell, who led a Navy Seals team in a covert operation to track a high-value Taliban leader. He is now set to start filming a comedy movie titled Daddy's Home, which will co-star Will Ferrell.

Wahlberg is most admired for his ability to effectively and easily switch between serious dramatic roles and lighthearted comedic ones. Wahlberg is also one of the creative minds behind Boardwalk Empire and Entourage, the successful HBO series that will likewise soon be a movie.

Val Powell
I'm a content writer, blogger, SEO enthusiast, visual artist, world traveler and lover of spicy foods. I also live and work in Queens, New York.
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